When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
"At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor making a living treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live."
Review
The writing is beautiful. With the same delicacy as performing an intesive surgery, Kalanithi writes his thoughts and experiences surrounding his illness. The words and prose are exquisite, made even more so by the depth of what they convey. This is one of the most poignant, beautiful, heart-wrenching things I have ever read.
In the introduction, written by Abraham Verghese, one of Kalanithi's colleagues, you as the reader are invited to read Kalanithi's words as a conversation between you and him, your thoughts and feelings being your half. When I read that, I was unsure of what he meant, but in reading this short glimpse into Kalanithi's thoughts and heart, it really did become a conversation.
It was especially personal to me. Without delving into too many personal details, my mother died of cancer when I was 18, which was the second time she had it, after it had been in remission for 15 years. I found myself seeing her as the narrator, discussing life and death and finding meaning in both. I wondered about her experience, about the pain she went through when she did chemo, when I was too young to understand what was going on. I wondered about her experience in having her identity and future be completely changed due to this illness. I profoundly felt the loss of not being able to discuss this with her, and what a gift Kalanithi has left his family with his words.
There was also a personal reflection as I also had a brief cancer scare. I had a benign tumor in my chest, but for about six weeks we thought it was lymphoma. I stared down this same path, struggling with the same questions, but in the end I did not have to walk this lonely road. Reading Kalanithi's words touched me so deeply, looking at a future that might have been.
I would highly, highly recommend this book to everyone. It is short (he died while writing it), but it will touch you in a deep, intimate way.
Rating
I give this book 5 stars.
Details
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir.
Language: None.
Sex: None.
Violence: None.
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
"At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor making a living treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live."
Review
The writing is beautiful. With the same delicacy as performing an intesive surgery, Kalanithi writes his thoughts and experiences surrounding his illness. The words and prose are exquisite, made even more so by the depth of what they convey. This is one of the most poignant, beautiful, heart-wrenching things I have ever read.
In the introduction, written by Abraham Verghese, one of Kalanithi's colleagues, you as the reader are invited to read Kalanithi's words as a conversation between you and him, your thoughts and feelings being your half. When I read that, I was unsure of what he meant, but in reading this short glimpse into Kalanithi's thoughts and heart, it really did become a conversation.
It was especially personal to me. Without delving into too many personal details, my mother died of cancer when I was 18, which was the second time she had it, after it had been in remission for 15 years. I found myself seeing her as the narrator, discussing life and death and finding meaning in both. I wondered about her experience, about the pain she went through when she did chemo, when I was too young to understand what was going on. I wondered about her experience in having her identity and future be completely changed due to this illness. I profoundly felt the loss of not being able to discuss this with her, and what a gift Kalanithi has left his family with his words.
There was also a personal reflection as I also had a brief cancer scare. I had a benign tumor in my chest, but for about six weeks we thought it was lymphoma. I stared down this same path, struggling with the same questions, but in the end I did not have to walk this lonely road. Reading Kalanithi's words touched me so deeply, looking at a future that might have been.
I would highly, highly recommend this book to everyone. It is short (he died while writing it), but it will touch you in a deep, intimate way.
Rating
I give this book 5 stars.
Details
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir.
Language: None.
Sex: None.
Violence: None.
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